Redesign of the avenue's series of faux curves between Commerce and Pruett streets has been identified as one of the first steps to revitalizing Baytown's historic downtown district. The issue is posted on today's City Council agenda.

A second public meeting Monday evening on selecting a new striping pattern was inconclusive.

The winding pattern, which was originally designed to slow the traffic flow, was created in the 1970s by painting curving lines on a straight length of pavement.

Removing the curves was listed as a high priority in a master plan developed last year by the St. Louis urban design firm H3 Studio Inc.

Of the approximately 25 people who attended the meeting at Lee College, eight said they preferred the plan that includes 22.5-degree angle parking on both sides of the street and 10-foot-wide travel lanes.

The plan was identified as Option C at an April 12 meeting conducted by Roger Armstrong of Traffic Engineers Inc., the firm hired to design the Texas Avenue restriping. Armstrong also led Monday's meeting.

Six people at Monday's meeting chose a plan known as Option F, which includes parallel parking on both sides of the street, 13-foot-wide travel lanes and a 3-foot buffer between the passenger side of the parking space and the curb.

Mundinger, who attended the meeting but did not preside, commented that the arguments for angle parking and parallel parking were both logical, which made the issue controversial.

Nevertheless, the mayor said, the downtown association and business owners needed to reach some sort of agreement so plans could move forward to bring economic development back to downtown.

"I really would hope that between now and Thursday you all can really get together, public hearing or no, and try to come to some agreement as to what you all believe in," the mayor said.

Mundinger said his heart went out to business owners on Texas Avenue and he hoped that the Baytown Downtown Association board would be more sensitive to their concerns. By the same token, the mayor said he would ask the business owners to be more open-minded and flexible toward parallel parking.

"The buck is going to stop at council Thursday," Mundinger said. "I just really would hope that between now and Thursday you all could visit and work together and find something that is mutually acceptable."

Dr. Chris Warford, owner of the Texas State Optical office at 301 W. Texas Ave., said that 90 percent of his patients had told him they don't like parallel parking. Warford said he didn't understand the push for parallel parking when most drivers don't like it.